Airdrie RCMP and firefighters responded to a van on fire, July 28. As a result, the Queen Elizabeth II Highway was closed to allow emergency services to combat the fire. The highway was completely closed for approximately 15 minutes and later reopened with reduced lanes for about an hour.
Initial reports indicate the van was being used as a painters work van. The painters working out of the van had multiple propane tanks inside the vehicle that exploded, although they were able to remove all of the paint containers before they caught fire.
No one was hurt and no other additional vehicles were damaged.
On July 24 at about 2 p.m., RCMP responded to a barn fire at the Sand Hill Hutterite farm near Beiseker. Fire crews were already battling the blaze when RCMP arrived.
Two barns were fully engulfed in flames and it’s estimated that 500 to 600 pigs died in the fire. No people were injured or killed. The cause of the blaze is still unknown and foul play is not suspected.
Local RCMP received a complaint of an impaired driver just after midnight, July 23. Police found the vehicle with assistance from Citizens On Patrol.
The driver, Joseph Richard Park, 20, of Calgary, was arrested after being suspected of selling drugs and there was $6,000 in cash, 8.9 grams of cocaine and four grams of crack in the vehicle.
Park is charged with possession of a substance for the purpose of trafficking and breach of probation.
On July 26th Airdrie RCMP were notified of a missing person. Concerned family members advised that 45-year-old Dirk J. Testerink of Airdrie was last seen in the city on the morning of July 18.
Testerink is described as Caucasian, six feet tall, 165 pounds with dirty blonde hair, one blue and one hazel-coloured eye. He was last seen wearing sweat pants and a T-shirt.
It is believed that he may be using a bicycle for transportation and he may be traveling to the Kananakis area. The mountain bike is white in colour with black lettering.
On July 25, 2011 at 12:30 p.m., a member of the Airdrie Integrated Traffic unit spotted a black Honda motorcycle traveling northbound on the QE II at an excessive rate between Calgary and Airdrie.
“The officer determined the motorcycle to be traveling at 200 km/h and witnessed it changing lanes aggressively around other motorists,” said Sheriff Jason Graw. “The officer caught up to the bike, and conducted a traffic stop just south of the Crossfield overpass. The officer also noted the licence plate on the motorcycle had been altered and placed in a location that made it difficult to see.”
As a result of this incident, a 27-year-old male from Fort Saskatchewan, Alberta is now facing a number of charges under the Traffic Safety Act including exceeding the posted speed limit, careless driving, possessing a mutilated or altered document (licence plate) and having a licence plate not clearly visible.
“Driving at anywhere near this rate of speed is extremely dangerous,” said Graw.
“As speed increases, a drivers’ ability to steer around obstacles in the roadway decreases significantly. In addition, other drivers are not expecting a vehicle to be coming up from behind them so quickly, which could result in a driver inadvertently changing lanes into the path of the speeding motorcycle without realizing that the bike is even there.”
Two deceased Coldstream, British Columbia residents have been identified following a collision at Highway 791 and Highways 22X, July 22.
Shannon Hocking, 40, and Darren Gay, 43, were travelling southbound on Secondary Highway 791 in a 2005 Volkswagen Jetta when the car failed to stop at the intersection of 22X and was hit by an eastbound tractor-trailer.
Strathmore RCMP said the incident that took place south of Indus was not suspicious and did not consider alcohol to be a factor in the deadly crash. No charges are pending.
The Government of Alberta is alerting members of Alberta’s oil and gas industry to a scheme requesting payment of environmental fees.
A number of companies in the oil and gas sector have received invoices claiming to be issued by the “Alberta Environmental Registry.”
They request payment of funds through wire services for environmental and compliance fees. The invoice suggests that the fees are associated with a Government of Alberta program.
In addition, the invoice falsely states that legislation authorizes the registry to place a late payment penalty of 20 per cent on any unpaid amount. The Government of Alberta has no affiliation with this program or the Alberta Environmental Registry.
Any oil and gas operator unsure of the legitimacy of an invoice is urged to contact the nearest Alberta Environment regional office.
If you have information on any unsolved crime, contact your local RCMP or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477).
